Bone marrow drive set for Sunday to find match for man with leukemia

He must have transplant by September, his father says

A Silver Spring resident and his family are hoping a bone marrow drive Sunday in Rockville will turn up the match needed to save his life.

Of his friends, family and the more than 13 million people registered internationally to donate bone marrow, none are a full match for 33-year-old Jonathan Haupt, who is battling a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, said his father, Cliff Haupt.

"According to the doctors, he needs a transplant by September to save his life," Cliff Haupt said.

In an effort to make that happen, Jonathan's friends and family launched Team Haupt to find a donor and are partnering with the nonprofit DKMS, an international bone marrow donor center, to hold drives throughout the country, Haupt said.

Sunday's event at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, which will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is one of more than 15 bone marrow drives that have been held since the beginning of the month.

Haupt said his son has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore since his diagnosis, but his doctors have determined that a bone marrow transplant is the only option for survival.

"It's really been a rough battle," the Herndon, Va., resident said.

The news that Jonathan had acute myelogenous leukemia shocked his wife, friends and family. He had gone to the doctor March 2 for what was suspected to be a sinus infection and was admitted to the hospital the following day because his white blood cell counts had dipped dangerously low.

"It really came like a bombshell on him that he had leukemia," Haupt said. "He really had no idea."

Haupt said they should know if the drives have yielded a match by the end of next month.

As someone of European Jewish descent, there is a greater likelihood that Jonathan's donor will come from a similar ethnic background, but all are encouraged to get tested. The odds of finding a match are one in 30,000, Haupt said.

"These drives could save Jonathan's life and if not him, then someone else with leukemia or another type of blood cancer," Haupt said.

To learn more about how to help, visit www.teamhaupt.org. To register online, visit www.dkmsamericas.org.